Ömer Çelik, spokesman for Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s ruling party, on Monday defended the president’s stance on Palestine amid growing criticism of Turkey’s ongoing trade relations with Israel.
Anti-Israel sentiment has been running high in Turkey since Israel began pounding Gaza in retaliation for an unprecedented attack by militant Palestinian group Hamas in the south of Israel on October 7, which claimed around 1,200 lives and led to the taking of some 250 hostages to Gaza. The death toll in Gaza, in the meantime, has exceeded 33,000, according to the Gaza Health Ministry.
Çelik emphasized Erdoğan’s “unwavering support” for the Palestinian cause, calling the criticism “unfounded, unfair, irrational and illegitimate,” in a series of tweets
He said Erdoğan’s diplomatic efforts since October 7 position him as a global leader who firmly opposes those who call Palestinians fighting for their rights and land “terrorists.”
There is growing public discontent in Turkey, sparked in part by violent attacks on young protesters in İstanbul demanding an end to trade with Israel.
The trade between Turkey and Israel, some of which is conducted by people close to President Erdoğan, who is also leader of the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP), despite his anti-Israel rhetoric, was first revealed by investigative journalist Metin Cihan in late November. Cihan has since been reporting on commerce between the two countries using official statistics and maritime traffic websites, all of which are publicly available.
Erdoğan, who has long marketed himself in the Muslim world as the champion of Palestinian rights and a strong critic of Israel, has repeatedly accused Israel of being a “terrorist state” and committing “genocide” in Gaza due to Israel’s ongoing attacks on the Palestinian enclave of Gaza.
He even compared Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to Adolf Hitler.
Despite this, Turkish-Israeli business ties are reportedly on the rise. In the last five months, 18 new companies have been established in Turkey with Israeli capital amid Israel’s ongoing military operations in Gaza, according to an exclusive report by the Kısa Dalga news website, bringing the total number of such companies to 505.
Official statistics show a significant increase in exports to Israel, which reached a record $436.9 million in March, the highest level since the Gaza conflict began in October, the Karar daily reported on Monday.
Outraged by Turkey’s apparently contradictory stance toward Israel, protesters took to Taksim Square in İstanbul on Saturday and were violently dispersed by the police. Numerous protesters, including the daughters of a Turkish citizen killed by Israeli forces in 2010, were detained.
A statement issued by the Presidential Communications Directorate denied accusations of police violence and claimed that necessary measures were taken against protesters who refused to disperse and insulted state officials.
Erdoğan has faced numerous accusations of hypocrisy due to the ongoing trade between Israel and Turkey that has shown no signs of winding down at the height of Israel’s war on Gaza and to some extent is conducted by people close to Erdoğan and his family despite his anti-Israel rhetoric.
